Around the world in 80 trades: Adventures in economics, from coffee to camels and back - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330469568 ISBN 13: 9780330469562

Synopsis

Part Undercover Economist, part Apprentice challenge, "Around the World in 80 Trades" offers an exciting insight into the human story behind the money in our pockets, and reminds us that making a living is about exactly that - living. Economist Conor Woodman has decided to test his negotiating skills, charm and eye for a bargain against some of the world's oldest trading cultures. He's sold his house to finance the trip, but if his hunches are right - trading Sudanese camels for Zambian coffee, coffee for South African red wine and then off to China to buy jade with the proceeds - he'll return six months later with a lot of money, some new friends and a whole raft of brilliant tall tales. Whether trading teak or tea, surfboards or seafood, Conor goes head-to-head with the best operators in the world's most hotly-contested markets. But will years of experience as a business analyst mean anything when he is suspected of being a spy? And can London's financial bear pit prepare him for a horde of vodka-fuelled horse traders on the plains of central Asia?

About this title

Review:

`This is entertaining and enlightening stuff... As the global markets disintegrate, it becomes readily apparent that what Woodman is really trying to do is earn a living, with the emphasis on the living... perhaps the most fascinating conclusion he reaches is that the world is not dominated by big business in the way he believed and perhaps the most satisfying way to make a living is to buy, trade and sell a product, making connections and partners along the way that can be relied on to maintain a livelihood in the future. This is a sobering and reassuring thought at a time when business has never looked so morally bankrupt.'

Review:

Conor Woodman may be that rare thing - a likable city boy. A former market analyst, Woodman wants to see if he can make his dosh by doing business the old way: face to face, haggling, buying and selling. He sets off for Africa with no small aim in mind: to buy camels in Sudan, and double his money selling in Egypt. Enjoyable stuff, in amazing locations. --The Guardian

About this edition

• ISBN 10: 0330469568
• ISBN 13: 9780330469562
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• Number of pages: 246